On a possible summit with North Korea: “If that happens, it’ll be a great thing for North Korea. Most importantly, it would be a great thing for the world,” Trump said, adding that he’d like denuclearization to be “done immediately, but physically, a phase-in may be a little bit necessary.”

On former FBI Director James Comey: “I would actually say, how is he going to explain to his grandchildren all of the lies, the deceit, all of the problems he has caused this country,” Trump said, adding: “I’ve done a great service for this country by getting rid of [Comey], by firing him.”

Update 6:15 a.m. Thursday:

On MS-13: Trump called members of MS-13 “stone cold killers” and said Democrats are “sticking up” for the gang.

On immigration: “The whole system is corrupt,” Trump said, adding that he would only approve a congressional plan to bring back DACA if “it includes a wall, a real wall.”

On the economy: "We have a great economy – probably the best economy the country's ever had."

On NFL national anthem protests: “You have to stand proudly for the national anthem. Otherwise, you shouldn’t be playing; you shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.”

ORIGINAL STORY: President Donald Trump will discuss North Korea, immigration and the NFL's new policy on national anthem protests in an interview airing this morning on Fox News' "Fox and Friends."

“We are writing the next chapter of Georgia history, where no one is unseen, no one is unheard and no one is uninspired,” a jubilant Abrams said, adding: “And I know for the journey ahead, we need every voice in our party – and every independent thinker in the state.”

Abrams attracted national attention, big-name endorsements and millions of dollars in outside spending with her “unapologetic progressive” platform to flip the Georgia governor’s office for the first time since 2002.

She overcame a stiff challenge from Evans, who tried to frame herself as the more ardent progressive. Evans fueled her campaign with nearly $2 million of her own money, pummeling Abrams with criticism for supporting a 2011 Republican-backed measure that cut awards to the HOPE scholarship.

Each of the Democratic and Republican candidates tried to carve out his or her niche in a race that attracted more than $22 million in campaign contributions – and flooded the airwaves with more than $13 million in TV ads.

Though her Republican opponent is not yet known – Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle will face Secretary of State Brian Kemp in a July 24 showdown – the Georgia GOP quickly attacked her over her financial background.

“I’ve tried to make sense of her personal and professional finances, and my head is spinning,” said Georgia GOP chair John Watson, who called on her to release her tax returns and other financial records.

Abrams owes more than $200,000 in debts, including about $54,000 to the IRS. She has said she’s on payment plan to pay back the debt, and has sought to frame her struggles as evidence she understands the problems that Georgians face.

Evans, meanwhile, quickly endorsed Abrams and vowed to help Democrats form a united front against President Donald Trump and state Republicans.

"The Democratic Party is trying to find a unified voice to rally against Trump,” said Evans. “We must do that."

Shifting strategy

The Democrats largely abandoned centrist talk to appeal instead to left-leaning voters with a promise of implementing gun control, increasing financial aid for lower-income families and taking steps toward the decriminalization of marijuana.

That’s a stark contrast from more moderate appeals from a generation of Democratic candidates for governor, who often sought the National Rifle Association’s endorsement and touted fiscally conservative policies.

They are echoing many in the party’s base who insisted on that shift. Claudia Colichon, who lives in north Atlanta, said she demands candidates who embrace mass transit funding and fight for gun control.

“There needs to be a progressive change,” said Colichon. “People are seeing that conservative policies aren’t working.”

Abrams drew support from Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and a string of other high-profile Democrats and raised about two-thirds of her campaign funds from outside the state. National groups chipped in another $2 million worth of ads supporting her.

Evans mounted a lower-key campaign focused on local endorsements and smaller gatherings. The election-eve activities highlighted their differences. While Abrams held a large get-out-the-vote rally, Evans slung beers for supporters at an Atlanta bar.

United and divided

Both Abrams and Evans united around a host of issues, including expanding Medicaid, growing the medical marijuana program and continuing Deal’s criminal justice overhaul. And both are outspoken opponents of “religious liberty” measures they say amount to state-sponsored discrimination.

The two attorneys also both were the products of hardscrabble childhoods that shaped their views of government, served together in the state House in their 30s and had up-close views of the tragic toll of substance abuse on their families with siblings who faced legal trouble.

The biggest policy divide, however, centered on the HOPE scholarship, which provides tuition aid to Georgia college students who maintain a “B” average.

Evans said Abrams betrayed her party by working with Republicans seeking cost-cutting moves to reduce the program’s awards in 2011. Abrams countered that more “seasoned” Democrats sided with her in that vote because they knew negotiating with the GOP would prevent deeper cuts.

A new philosophy

The other central disagreement in the race involved strategy.

Evans banked on a more conventional Democratic plan to win over independent voters and moderates, particularly suburban women, who have fled to the GOP. Abrams staked her campaign on energizing left-leaning voters, including minorities who rarely cast ballots.

The two competed for support in an increasingly diverse electorate and at times racial tensions surfaced.

There was the moment last year when Abrams supporters shouted down Evans at an Atlanta conference of progressive activists with chants of “support black women.” Evans, who is white, drew scorn with a video at Ebenezer Baptist Church that faded her face into the image of Martin Luther King Jr.

For Democrats, the divisive primary for governor was somewhat novel. Jason Carter, the party’s 2014 nominee, faced no Democratic competition. And former Gov. Roy Barnes steamrolled over opposition in 2010 during his failed comeback bid.

The party has also largely avoided fierce primary battles between black and white candidates for governor since the 1990 vote, when then-Lt. Gov. Zell Miller trounced former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.

Evans, who represented a Smyrna-based district, faced an uphill battle from the moment she entered the race. Black women form the largest bloc of voters in the Democratic primary, and Abrams’ campaign predicted African-American turnout overall could make up 65 percent of the vote.

To make inroads, Evans staged a slate of smaller rallies and meet-and-greets, and she relied heavily on prominent black officials to spread her message. She also spent far more heavily on TV than Abrams, inundating the airwaves with a HOPE-themed pitch.

In her victory speech, Abrams moved to unite the party by praising Evans’ supporters. She pledged to repeal a campus carry law, expand the HOPE scholarship, improve workforce training programs and strengthen labor unions.

And she tried to appeal to more centrist voters by saying she would be the “state’s public education governor” – emphasis on the word “public.”

“Together we will shape a future with a boundless belief in the historic investment of children who are at the very core of every decision we make,” she said.

The Cheesecake Factory says it has suspended a group of employees accused of harassing a customer who wore a "Make America Great Again" hat to one of the company's Miami restaurants.

According to WFOR-TV, Eugene Joseph, 22, said employees at the chain's Dadeland Mall location taunted and threatened him on Mother's Day when they saw his hat bearing President Donald Trump's campaign slogan.

Joseph, who was at the restaurant with his girlfriend and her family, told WFOR that staffers made insulting comments and tried to intimidate him, saying they'd hit him and knock off his cap.

One guest at the table "felt uneasy due to several employees gathering around her table and cracking their knuckles," a Miami-Dade police report said, later adding that "no threats were made and no physical altercation occurred," WFOR reported.

The restaurant chain issued an apology after Joseph's story, initially reported by the Daily Wire, went viral.

"No guest should ever feel unwelcome in one of our restaurants and we are taking this matter very seriously," the statement read. "Upon learning of this incident, we immediately apologized to the guests in person. The individuals involved have been suspended pending the results of our investigation."

Joseph told WFOR that the Cheesecake Factory has not apologized to him personally.

After the suspension, The Cheescake Factory announced that the two employees who made the comments are no longer employed by the company.

It released the following statement from Alethea Row, the restaurant chain’s senior director of Public Relations:

“We were very disappointed to learn that two staff members made disparaging remarks about Mr. Joseph’s hat that made him and his family feel unwelcome. As a result, as of Tuesday those two individuals are no longer employed with the company. No guest should ever feel unwelcome in one of our restaurants and we are very sorry. Our investigation is ongoing and we have reached out to Mr. Joseph directly to ask for his assistance. We are taking this situation seriously, however, not all of the information reported by the media accurately portrays what occurred. The situation may have been exacerbated by an all-staff meeting that took place during our shift change between our staff members working the lunch and dinner shifts – which may have been perceived as a crowd gathering near the guests’ tables. We look forward to speaking with Mr. Joseph to welcome him back into one of our restaurants.”

According to the Social Security Administration, Melania saw a dramatic increase in popularity last year, rising from the 1,650th most popular girls' name in 2016 to 930th in 2017. The 720-spot rise in rank was the fifth-largest increase among girls' names last year, falling behind Ensley, Oaklynn, Dream and Oaklyn.

Three Americans detained for more than a year in North Korea were welcomed back to the United States by President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other members of the administration at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland early Thursday.

Update 6:07 a.m. EDT Thursday: President Donald Trump took to Twitter to share a video showing clips from his meeting with three Americans who returned to the U.S. early Thursday after being detained in North Korea.

Earlier Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence also tweeted about the detainees’ return.

“Great day to be an American! Because of @POTUS Trump’s strong leadership, tonight we welcomed home three Americans from captivity in North Korea. Honored to be there to say Welcome Home! #GodblessAmerica,” Pence wrote.

Update 3:02 a.m. EDT Thursday: The three freed detainees have exited the plane with President Donald Trump and the first lady.

“This is a very special night for these really great people,” Trump said to members of the press at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, adding that he “very much appreciates” that North Korea released them.

Trump continued: “I’m very honored to have helped these three folks. They’ve been through a lot. The true honor is going to be if we have a victory in getting rid of nuclear weapons.”

When one detainee was asked how it felt to be back in America, he said, “It’s like a dream.”

Update 2:57 a.m. EDT Thursday: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have boarded the plane to speak with the detainees freed by North Korea.

Update 2:44 a.m. EDT Thursday: The plane carrying the American detainees has arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Update 2:37 a.m. EDT Thursday: The plane carryingSecretary of State Mike Pompeo has landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Staging a flag-waving, still-of-the-night arrival ceremony, President Donald Trump early Thursday welcomed home three Americans freed by North Korea and declared their release a sign of promise toward his goal of de-nuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

Confidantes of Republican Sen. John McCain, whose health has been waning since his brain cancer diagnosis last year, say President Donald Trump will not be invited to his funeral, multiple news outlets are reporting.

The New York Times reported Saturday that McCain's "intimates have informed the White House that their current plan for his funeral is for Vice President Mike Pence to attend the service to be held in Washington’s National Cathedral but not President Trump, with whom Mr. McCain has had a rocky relationship."

Daniels –who claims she had sex with Trump in 2006 and received $130,000 from his attorney, Michael Cohen, as part of a nondisclosure agreement – played herself in the show's cold open, which also featured guest stars Ben Stiller as Cohen, Martin Short as former Trump physician Harold Bornstein, Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump and Jimmy Fallon as Jared Kushner.

President Donald Trump repaid personal attorney Michael Cohen for an October 2016 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels as part of a nondisclosure agreement, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Fox News' Sean Hannity in a televised interview late Wednesday.

Update 3:10 p.m. EDT May 3: ﻿White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday that she didn’t learn that President Donald Trump reimbursed his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, for a payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels until Wednesday.

“As Mayor Giuliani stated, and I’ll refer you back to his comments, this was information that the president didn’t know at the time but eventually learned,” she said Thursday at a news briefing.

The press secretary had previously said that officials were unaware of payments made by Cohen to Daniels.

“The first awareness I had was during the interview last night,” Huckabee Sanders said. “The president has denied and continues to deny the underlying claim.”

Daniels has said that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, after she met him at a celebrity golf tournament. Cohen paid her $130,000 days before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence on the alleged affair. Trump previously denied any knowledge of the payment.

Daniels has sued to break the non-disclosure agreement, claiming it wasn’t valid because it wasn’t signed by Trump.

Update, 6:48 a.m. EDT Thursday: President Donald Trump took to Twitter early Thursday to weigh in on the latest revelations in the Stormy Daniels scandal after Rudy Giuliani, now a member of his legal team, spoke to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday.

Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, “received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a nondisclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are very common among celebrities and people of wealth. In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll [sic] in this transaction.”

ORIGINAL STORY: President Donald Trump repaid personal attorney Michael Cohen for an October 2016 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels as part of a nondisclosure agreement, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Fox News' Sean Hannity in a televised interview late Wednesday.

Giuliani, who recently joined Trump's legal team, told Hannity that the $130,000 payment to Daniels, who signed the agreement to keep quiet about an alleged 2006 affair with Trump, "is going to turn out to be perfectly legal."